Something Marvelous

And oh yeah, tune in this week for pictures of my future place of employment—The UN. (In the meantime, I leave you with a video of a man who makes me cream when he utters a single phenome!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pGfgMYfdBFc&feature=related ) 

So it’s been circulating around the internet for about a week, but since I already uploaded the songs for a friend I thought I would post it. Will update later with a review very soon now that I am off from school, but I am too tired for now. The movie that this EP accompanies has definitely been added to my “purchases after first summer paycheck” list for sure.  This album really is phenomenal (namely, the live songs), so please have a listen and you will surely not regret it.

You’ve Done It Again, Virginia (previously unrealased)

Santa Clara (UK B-side)

Blank Slate(UK B-side)

Tall Saint (with Sufjan Stevens and Marla Hansen)

Without Permission(unreleased cover)

Forever After Days (demo)

Rest of Years (demo)

Slow Show (live) *

Lucky You (Daytrotter Session)

Mansion on the Hill (live cover, originally by NJ native Bruce Springstein)

Fake Empire (live) *

About Today (live) *

So being a dorm-living, kitchenless college student I have become quite obsessed with food and even have a whole folder devoted to “food presentation” on my MacBook (plus pastries, cakes, pies, and savory foods-oh yes I have it all). And now that I have a blog, I have a place to share! If you like Mojitos, pound cake, and meringue as much as I do this recipe will certainly tickle your fancy. (I am currently drooling as we speak). I found this recipe on Tastespotting of course, but it is by Warren Brown, who owns cakelove, a small chain of bakeries in and around the D.C. metro area! Next semester, I shall be a regular patron, join me if you will?

Dry
2 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 whole cloves (ground into a fine powder)
1/3 cup oven dried mint crumbled

Liquid
2/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup half-and-half
3 tablespoons dark rum
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon molasses
1 teaspoon limoncello
1 lime outer rind removed and segmented

Creaming
2 sticks room temperature unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups extra-fine granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lime zest
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

Note: The actual recipe, including notes is three pages long. Below is my condensed version.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Incorporated all of the dry ingredients into a bowl, whisk briefly, and set aside. Incorporated all of the liquid ingredients into a bowl, whisk briefly, and set aside. Measure the butter, sugar, eggs, and yolks into separate bowls and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) cream together the butter, sugar, and lime zest on the lowest setting for 4 to 5 minutes.

With the mixer still on the lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolks, fully incorporating after each addition.

Add the dry ingredient mixture, alternating with the liquid mixture in 3 to 5 additions each, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Move swiftly through this step to avoid overworking the batter. Don’t wait for the dry or liquid mixtures to be fully incorporated before adding the next. This step should take a total of about 60 seconds.

Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl (don’t miss the clumps of ingredients hiding on the bottom of the bowl). Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds to develop the batters structure.

Prepare the cake pans. For 9-inch-round cakes, line the bottom of each pan with parchment. Note: The recipe says not to spray the pans with cooking spray, but I did. I wasn’t willing to take any chances on this cake sticking to the pan). Deposit the batter evenly into the pans and smooth out with an offset spatula, making sure the pans are two-thirds full. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Note: My cakes took about 35 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven and cool to room temperature on a wire rack, about 25 to 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Loosen the cake gently from the pan with a small offset spatula and invert onto a flat surface. Remove the parchment from the bottom of each cake and wrap the layers tightly in plastic. You can refrigerate the layers overnight or up to 5 days before frosting. Note: I’m very impatient and only left my layers in the fridge for 2 hours. It seemed to work fine for me!

Rum-Flavored Italian Meringue Buttercream

5 egg whites
1 1/4 cups extra-fine granulated sugar
1/4 cup cold water
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
2 to 4 tablespoons of dark rum (to taste)

Set out the ingredients and the equipment.

Separate the egg whites into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the wire whip attachment. Measure 1 cup sugar and the water into a 1-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Gently stir with the candy thermometer to combine. Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar into a small bowl and set aside. Cut the butter into tablespoon sized pieces and set aside in a medium bowl.

To make the sugar syrup, place the candy thermometer in the saucepan and heat the mixture over medium-high heat. Partially cover with a lid to capture the evaporating water-this helps to moisten the sides of the saucepan to prevent sugar crystals from forming.

With the mixer on high speed, begin whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks. When the peaks are stiff you have a meringue. Keep the mixer running and pour the 1/4 cup of sugar into the meringue.

Raise the heat under the sugar syrup to bring the syrup to 245 degrees, if it is not there already. When the syrup is at 245 degrees, remove the thermometer and slowly pour the syrup into the meringue.

After 1 or 2 minutes reduce the mixer speed to medium for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the meringue is cooled. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the mixer speed to high for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the butter is fully incorporated. Finally add in the dark rum and spread onto your pound cake. Decorate as desired. Note: I used fresh mint and Turbinado sugar.

Once I figure out the html for tumblr, this post will disappear. Just a melange of silly, time-wasting websites and my favorite blogs the internet has to offer.

Need to say something, but can’t work up the courage to say it out loud? Never fear, ‘Let them sing it for you’ is here! Let the best the music industry has to offer sing whatever is ailing your heart. Merely punch in what you need to say and voila! Ego sold separately.